Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hockey equipment, more particularly, to a dummy for practicing checking.
2. Description of the Related Art
In hockey, checking is a defensive skill that takes several different forms. In body checking, a player uses shoulders, chest, or hips to make contact with an opposing player to take that player out of the play or against a puck-carrier in such a way that the puck-carrier can no longer control the puck. In stick- or poke-checking, a player uses his stick to poke the puck off an opponent""s stick. Checking is a basic defensive skill of the game, and requires practice to become proficient.
Without use of the present invention, a player is first shown and told how to hold his head, hands, and stick, and where to position his legs when preparing to make a body check. The technique is demonstrated slowly on another player. Then practice takes place between two players. Typically, the player being checked has to be told to allow the checking player to finish the check. If this practice is performed at full speed, most players never finish the check.
The one-on-one drill is used to show defensemen how to hip check and do a turnout check. The offensive player skates forward toward the defensive player who is skating backwards. The defensive player is supposed to hip check and turn out the offensive player into the boards with the check. However, in most cases, the offensive player is faster and the defensive player never gets to make contact with him.
There is a present need for an apparatus that allows a player to practice checking in which the check can be completed by the player at full speed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a dummy that can be used to practice hockey checking that is superior in ways to player-on-player practice checking.
Another object is to provide a hockey checking practice dummy that can be controlled by another person to react as a live player would while directing the practice session.
A further object is to provide a hockey checking practice dummy that allows a player to practice checking at full speed.
A further object is to provide a hockey checking practice dummy that emulates the feel of checking so that the practice is relatively close to checking a live person.
The present invention is a dummy for practicing hockey checking, and is composed of a base, an upper body, and a mechanism for controlling motion of the dummy. The generally cylindrical base has a rigid foundation and an upwardly-extending, rigid column. The column is a hollow or solid cylinder onto which the upper body is secured. The base is weighted, in part to emulate the weight of a human being and in part to prevent the dummy from tipping. The weight can be a solid weight as a component of the base or, preferably, a material in a hollow container in the base. Optionally, the material in poured into the container through a cap and can be removed the same way. Preferably, the outer surface of the foundation is padded. Optionally, the base includes a puck holder for practicing poke-checking.
The upper body has a life-like appearance and feel. At its core is a column that slides onto or into the base column. The current design has the base column as a post and the upper body column as a sleeve, but the reverse is also contemplated. The column is attached to a torso on top of which is a head, preferably composed of a hard but resilient material. The arms are constructed of rolled soft foam, wherein the sleeves of the jersey provide a covering to retain the rolled shape. Optionally, the arms have bendable wires in order to provide a means for retaining the arms in a desired position. The upper body is covered with standard hockey clothing and equipment, including shoulder pads, jersey, helmet, and gloves. A stick is secured to the gloves. The lower section of the upper body is padded.
The height of the dummy is adjustable by any of the many methods known in the art. One method includes providing the base column post with shaped depressions and the upper body column sleeve with protrusions. The depressions have a plurality of stops at different heights on which the protrusions can rest. Alternatively, a spring-loaded rod fits into depressions in the post. Adjusting the height is matter of pulling the rod out, changing the height of the upper body, and releasing the rod so the spring pulls it into a different depression. Alternatively, the spring-loaded rod is replaced by a large set screw.
Several methods are contemplated for making the dummy slideable across the playing surface. One method is to make the undersurface of the foundation smooth enough to slide easily and, optionally, coat it with a non-stick material. In another method, feet, in the form of either wheels or knobs, are attached to the underside of the foundation. The knobs can be composed of or coated with a non-slip material.
A control grip allows a coach to control the motion of the dummy before and after being hit. Examples of the control include a pair of hand loops attached to the back of the upper body, a rigid bar pivotally mounted to the back of the upper body, and an elongated rod connected to the base by a ball and socket joint.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.